The Beast And The Blessed

Twenty-One: Natalie

Natalie’s P.O.V.

Never once did he let me go that night. He *me in every way possible, making sure to keep my heat at bay. The mixture of soft, loving, and hard, dominating touches had me curious about what he would be like when he wasn’t holding himself back.

*had scraped his teeth against my neck countless times during the night, and my breathing would stop as his tense body held very still atop mine. I wanted him to mark me. It would not only solidify my. place in the kingdom, but it would confirm my place in *life. I wouldn’t have to question what I was to him. I would officially be his mate. I would be his queen.

I had also hoped that it would help trigger my shift.

But he never bit down. He never placed his claim.

I moaned as he pulled out of me, *before laying on top of me. The morning sun had just begun to rise, illuminating the room in a soft glow. I could feel my body returning back to normal. I was exhausted, but the heat was gone.

*rolled off me and onto his back, one hand on his stomach while the other held his forehead.

I didn’t like the way that he had *down. What had been the best night of my life seemed to be one that he regretted deeply. His jaw was clenched *, and the hand over his abdomen was in a tight fist.

out softly as I rolled onto my side, lifting my arm to place my hand on top of his fist. He jerked away from me quickly, dropping his arm to the bed on the other side of his body. I looked up at his face to see the cold mask had been restored. Only this time, there was a hatred in his

like a statement, but I answered anyway with a nod of my head. He stood from the bed without looking back at me.

of ours. He was right, of course. The king is always right. It was his bed, his room, his kingdom. I was just the

not once did he *in me last night. It told me that it wasn’t part of his true intentions. He never meant to make me his breeder or to mark me as his mate. He only kept me here so I could sacrifice myself for him when the time

the queen even without a mark. I was *to ever dream that I would be more than

be just fine to go about his merry way and

back as he walked into the bathroom without sparing me a single glance, closing the door behind him

him. If I had to guess, he was probably feeling good about himself,

a *.

to hating me, he should have just let me suffer or at least kept

no need for the way he kissed me, held me close to him, and looked into

talking and kept any intimacy out of

felt cheap and

No shifting. No mate.

on the recent murder of one of the guards, it was going to be soon. Without being mated to a wolf or having shifted myself, I wasn’t even sure if I were to be returned to the Goddess when I died, or if I would be